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Did You Know?

Trivia:

A clip from the TV series "Perfect Strangers" (1986) plays on the TV. In the clip, Larry Appleton is calling for "Balki." Bronson Pinchot, who stars in this film as Bobby, played Balki in "Perfect Strangers."See more »

Goofs:

Continuity: Sister Elizabeth, Preston, and Bobby are able to leave the restaurant, get the to airport, purchase tickets to Pittsburgh, and board the plane, in the same time it takes the kidnappers to go from their apartment, into the hallway to their apartment.See more »

Quotes:

[first lines] Wills:[answering machine message] Hello, you've reached the Second Sight *psychic* detective agency. We know who you are and what you want, so, at the sound of the beep, hang up.See more »

It's sort of Ghostbusters (1984) meets Ghost (1990), although much
funnier than either of those, with even a little bit of Airplane!
(1980), believe it or not, thrown in at the end. In spite of all this,
Second Sight manages to be wildly original.

An ex-cop, a psychic researcher from Harvard and his pet-like subject
have formed a detective agency, using the psychic to help them unravel
crimes. They take on a case for $300 helping a nun toward whom the
ex-cop has great animosity find out who rear-ended her car.

Sound crazy? It is!

Thrown into the bargain, just about every way you can think of
exploiting a clairvoyant is spoofed, from horse racing and the lottery
to dating. "Tell me! Is she a Scorpio?"

John Laroquette plays the ex-cop in what is perhaps his breakthrough
role. He is good here just like he is in everything I've ever seen him
in. I think maybe this is where they got the idea for his McBride
character.

Even though John Laroquette gets top billing, the movie really belongs
to Bronson Pinchot. He manages to be completely over-the-top without
being annoying in the way Jim Carey often is. In many respects he is
like a two-year-old running out of control, getting into everything,
innocently exploring everything he comes in contact with. Including the
opposite sex.

And, also like a two-year-old, I don't see how anyone could not
ultimately find him endearing. Even John Laroquette, who is
demonstrably tortured by him all the way through, warms to him in the
last few minutes.

Stuart Pankin is very strong as the second banana, the Harvard PhD that
is the only one who can control Pinchot. Every moment he has on screen
is superbly played, and his catch phrase of "very rare!" in describing
whatever latest psi phenomenon Pinchot is manifesting is a masterpiece
of comedic writing and delivery.

The movie is excellently directed by Joel Zwick, in his only venture
out of the small screen before My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). The
pacing is great, never a dull moment. Not overdone, not quite madcap,
yet there is something in every scene and at every turn to make you
laugh. Sight gags, silly situations, some slapstick. But mostly you'll
laugh from the dialog.

The best thing about the movie is the writing, which is surprisingly
high quality for a movie of this sort. Only the Airplane and Naked Gun
series rival it in taking stupidity to intelligent heights. The
thoughtful wittiness of the dialog hits you on the funny bone again and
again.

Don't get me wrong. The movie is no Wilde or Coward play, no Woody
Allen movie, not even Monty Python. It's definitely stupid humor. But
it's delightful, intelligent, clever and entertaining stupid humor.

The special effects are also great, better than I would have expected
from a movie of this type. I don't want to give too much away, but I
will say that Pinchot does a lot of levitation and zapping of one kind
or another during the film.

Don't believe the low ratings on this one. If you like clever dialog
along the lines of Airplane and Naked Gun, and ridiculous supernatural
stuff like Ghostbusters, I guarantee you'll get a lot of laughs out of
Second Sight.

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